U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to hold a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding a suspected plague case at a Siberian research institute. Trump mentioned during a White House briefing that he would be engaging in discussions with Putin on this matter imminently. The incident involves the sudden death of an employee at an anti-plague institute, which officials linked to pneumonia of an unidentified origin.
When questioned about the U.S. intelligence community’s stance on the issue, Trump stated that there are ongoing extensive deliberations on the topic. He indicated that updates on the situation are expected to be shared possibly by the next day. The World Health Organization, on the other hand, assessed the risk level of the case outside of Russia as “very low.” The global health agency confirmed its communication with Russian authorities after reports emerged last week of the demise of a female staff member at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East.
In a prior statement, Trump expressed the willingness of the United States to assist Russia in managing the situation. The call between the two leaders is happening amidst the impending deadline of October 18 for the Trump administration to identify potential Russian entities for sanctions under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which was enacted into law on September 18.
Notably, Ukraine has submitted a list to both the administration and Congress outlining Russian companies, vessels, and individuals for possible sanctions under the aforementioned legislation.
